When Brown students received the official email that sent us home for the rest of the semester, we were all sad, stressed, and confused. Being sent home halfway through the semester was less than ideal for all students; however, the abrupt departure from school was particularly disorienting for freshmen (and especially seniors).
Brown first-years had only been on campus for roughly six months when the news broke that students had to evacuate campus due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The evacuation meant that students would be home for at least the next six months. This realization was surreal for me and many other of my peers; just as most of us were starting to finally feel settled into college life, our new lives were uprooted and we were forced to leave. It’s no secret that in college it takes a while to get accustomed to the new environment, develop a comfortable day-to-day routine, and form meaningful friendships. Personally, I was finally getting into the swing of things during the second semester. Unfortunately, due to the evacuation, many college freshmen, including myself, missed the opportunity to continue their college development and immersion into Brown’s culture.
One of the biggest worries most college freshmen have is if we will have to start all over again when we eventually do return to campus. Of course, the wonderful friendships that we’ve made will still be there, but there is the fear that we will have to devote the same time and energy we did at the beginning of the year to readjust to college life. Though all students may have to transition into college life again after being home for so long, this process may be a little more difficult and time-consuming for us freshmen since we had such little time on campus to begin with.
Freshmen are also disappointed to miss out on some of the exciting aspects that make spring semester at Brown so special. None of us got to experience the highly anticipated spring weekend. Many freshmen who are newly involved in Greek life at Brown did not get to go to their first formals or participate in their organization’s philanthropy weekend. Additionally, we missed being on campus to experience the beautiful spring New England has to offer. We also will have to wait to feel the bittersweet satisfaction of taking our last final and celebrating the completion of our freshmen year of college with our friends around us.
Although this time has been unsettling and disappointing, freshmen along with the rest of the student body are keeping a positive mindset– eager to return to campus. Even though the transition back to school may be more challenging than expected for myself and my peers, I know we are all looking forward to moving on with normal college life, seeing our college friends again, and even eating at the various dining halls around campus.